For reasons that we're not able to articulate, this song, Pais Nublado, our Number 5 song of the year, makes us happier than words can express, and we don't even speak Spanish. It's an incredibly simple, uncomplicated song, carried by a single, four-bar guitar passage, and even that drops out halfway through to let the lyrics float alone in space. The performer is Roberto Carlos Lange, the son of Ecuadorian immigrants who goes by the stage name of Helado Negro. I don't know how he makes this simple song work so well, but he does. This La Blogotheque performance is a near-perfect combination of ambiance and performance, enhancing the inherent joy in the source material.
Runner-Up/For Your Consideration: Although stylistically light years away from Helado Negro's stripped down South Americana, Norwegian artist Jenny Hval evokes similar feelings of joy and contentment in her electronic pop, and magically coaxes hygge warmth from layers of ice-blue synthesizers.
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